Hi everyone!
Sounds like y'all had a good week.
We did too! Aida was baptized on Saturday, and it all went really well. Because
this week had a holiday in it, there weren't lots of people at her baptism (or
church for that matter), but that's okay. Those that were there were so so good
to her. Aida has made friends with a couple of the Spanish speakers in our
ward, and they have been so great to come to our Gospel Principles class and
keep up with her and everything. The baptism went really well. It was kind of
funny... when she and Brother Romney were in the font, he explained to her
where to place her hands and things, and then he told her to make sure to bend
her knees. I guess that always makes it easier. Well, she thought that meant
going straight down into the water, instead of laying back into the water. He
didn't explain to bend the knees while he laid her down, so after he said the
little prayer she kind of crouched down into the water. But she went all the
way under so that was all that mattered! Hahaha. It was definitely nothing I
had ever seen before. Haha. She was confirmed yesterday in Sacrament meeting
and that all went well.
We went to the Spanish fireside in
the mission home last night, and that was cool. It's so fun to hear the
testimonies of converts. It makes me excited for Aida to progress and one day
go to the temple. It's scary to work with people that are just getting into the
gospel. There's so much to learn. And life-long members have so much left to
learn too, but we know the teachings of the Gospel Principles book like the
back of our hand, but to them, so much of it is new or different! But the
fireside is way cool, because I see the successful converts and get excited
thinking about Aida going to the temple and stuff.
Brother Romney conducted the meeting
(he kind of does all things Spanish in and around Louisville), and actually
kind of put Aida on the spot at the end of the meeting. He asked her to share a
few words. She talked about how grateful she was to learn about the gospel
after so many years in Cuba, and that she feels different -- better -- than
before. She said she knows the things that she has been taught are true. What
more can you ask for?! It was way great. :)
Mom, you mentioned zone conference
and I realized that I totally forgot to write about it last week! It was good.
I love getting together with missionaries. I still am kind of uncomfortable
when there are so many in one place because I feel like I don't know anyone
still, but you can band together with the Spanish missionaries because you see
them more often (Spanish firesides mostly) and can swap lots of stories
(it seems that all Hispanics seem to have the same problems, so we can relate a
little better to each other than to the English missionaries). Also, zone
conference was in an eastern suburb of Louisville, and we had to drive
ourselves so that the senior couple that manages all things cars and apartments
could inspect each one and ensure that we take care of everything. It was
gorgeous driving out there. We drove on a free way that looked like it had been
put in the tree tops. Everything on either side of us was just trees, and they
were really really thick, so you couldn't really see into them very much. It
reminded me of driving in Arkansas and Missouri when we went out there.
At zone conference President talked
about teaching tithing effectively to our investigators. I haven't ever had a
cool experience with tithing, but I do think that I managed to pay my tuition
only because I had always cut a check to the church every time I got paid. It's
probably just because I think writing checks is fun, but I kinda like paying
tithing. It makes me feel like I'm doing some good somewhere, you know?
Elder S and I were asked to
share a story about contacting at zone conference. We talked about how as
Spanish missionaries, it's hard to contact 20 Hispanics daily, so we end up
talking to lots of English speakers. We talked about Michael, the man from
Louisville that was super duper interested that we met at the park. We
encouraged them to keep talking to everyone, because the promise that was
extended to us from President when he told us to do this was that the success
of the whole mission would boom. So we didn't find any new investigators that
day. But Michael has accepted a baptismal date for the end of July, and had we
not gone to that park that day, who knows when he would have been introduced to
missionaries?! So that's cool. And we heard from the elders that are teaching him
that he is amazing, and is progressing! Elder St. Martin and I want to find a
way to go to his baptism in Louisville.
As for the rest of the missionary
work here in Clarksville, it's kind of struggling. Rodrigo and Esbeyda still
exist. We haven't seen them in a while, because he went on a trip to Salt Lake
to see his sister that lives there. He said he was going to see the temple on
his trip, so hopefully the Spirit touched his heart a little while he was
there! Also, Esbeyda got a new job and has Sundays off so they can come to
church! We are trying to get things rolling with them. It has been so long
since we started working with them, but they are just awesome. They need this!
So we keep trying.
Can't think of much else... Oh. I
turn 22 on Thursday. What the crap? Weird! One year closer to cheaper car
insurance. And being able to rent cars. And being an actual adult that pays
bills and has a real job and stuff. Good thing I have a little while longer as
a missionary to avoid some of the not so cool stuff of adulthood. Haha.
Thanks for everything! Y'all are the
coolest. Seriously. And the gospel. The gospel is the coolest too. :)
I love you guys!
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